Sunday, November 8, 2015

People
were religious and lived in harmony – There was happiness all around

The
last of the now available 7 Paripatals on Lord Vishnu (Tirumaal) is on a place
referred to in the Sangam Period as Iruntaiyoor, on the outskirts of Madurai. (later identified as the place of Kutalakkar temple).

This
final poem is by an unknown author and is in a rather easy style of
description. It has a certain poetic grace to it.

Iruntaiyoor’s Description – Trees
and Ponds

The
poet praises the Lord of Iruntaiyoor as one who is seen in a sitting posture.
He describes the Lord as being bright and beautiful like the Sapphire. Iruntaiyoor
had lofty trees that were seen on the slopes of the hill.

He specifically
refers to Venkai trees as blossoming in a lovely way. The Venkatampu tree is
described as being tall and Makila tree as being very fragrant.

He
describes a cool fragrant pond near the temple where Lotus bloomed in big
numbers. Swarms of bees lined up and buzzed at the new blooming. Schools of
fish swam in the pools and were seen in countless numbers like the stars in the
sky.

Trade in Madurai

The
poet praises the people of Iruntaiyoor as being always happy and
prosperous.They were engaged in brick
trade in addition to dealing in a wide range of goods. There seemed to be a
high level of social activity in this region.

The streets of
Iruntaiyoor were full of shops. All the traders seemed honest. Food stuff,
cosmetics and edible were sold. Fragrant pastes, clothes, jewels of all kinds,
cleansing powder, diamonds, gems, glittering stones, gold and silver and other
precious items were traded.

These
seemed to be produced from around the hills and mountains and from the sea for
the benefit of the devotees congregating there at Iruntaiyoor.

Elsewhere
in the town, there resided wise Brahmins who were well versed in Vedas. All
around people were steadfast in following the Dharmic path.

Adisesha Temple

At
Kullavaay near Madurai, there was an exclusive temple for Adisesha. Men and Women of all ages flocked there carrying
fragrant fumigants and flowers offered to the Lord in worship. The greatness of
Adisesha is described.

He
ends the poem with a prayer to bless everyone to adore this Lord who has 1000
awesome heads enshrined in Poomooti Nagar temple at Kullavaay.

Conclusion

From all the 7 Paripatals
,it is clear that people here in Tamil Nadu especially in the Pandya region
were religious. They were devoted to God. There were no fights on religious
grounds. Worship of Supreme Lord in his various forms was almost universal in
the Sangam days.